I don't look at my little website as any sort of news site per say. I do this because I want to help give many of the smaller artists a voice while still covering many of the larger independent (and occasionally mainstream) acts. When something big does happen however, I want to spend a little time to discuss such an event. I'm an unapologetic huge supporter of Aaron Watson. It's artists like him that pulled me away from mainstream when I started to realize the path it was going down. He and a few others, got me out of the bro-country trap and into the style of music I had been looking for the whole time. It's with incredible elation, that I get to say our boy Aaron Watson has an officialTop-30 Country radio song withOutta Style.

If you have followed me for a little while now, you are likely aware that I am not a fan of mainstream radio. Here I sit in our campsiteon vacation in Maine, tethered to my phone to have some internet and type this article to show my support for AW. There is poor signal here, so briefly my dad had the local Maine country station going on the radio. For the 14 years we've been camping here, I've witnessed the radio change during that time. I finally said I have to shut this off, I'm going crazy. Thankfully I found just the right spot so I could play my Texas country without any buffering issues. I just could not take the mainstream radio and it actually bothers me what it sounds like. I heard the DJ mention Kane Brown and once the song began, it sounded like a rap concert (this was the final straw lol).

What Aaron has managed to accomplish at country radio is an impressive feat in itself. He goes from a regional act in Texas, to selling out shows nation wide and building the tight-knit fan base we have today. And it's still growing. I've turned family and friends on to Aaron myself. He's someone we all want to see succeed. While there are some incredible talents like Isbell, Stapleton, Sturgill and the like, Watson is someone the average person can get behind. He's not some polarizing figure or out there always making political statements. He tends to show his appreciation to his fans and share with us his family through video and pictures – often humorous. He took the time to mention at the awards show how Keith Urban was very polite and even congratulated him. It's that special everyday-guy connection that makes all the difference and causes more people to get on board.

If Aaron is able to take this song higher in the charts, I do believe this could be a very large deal for other artists. Aaron has said countless times that he is an avid Texas Music fan so imagine if he starts to get more show dates in places like here in New England and the like. Do you think he'd try to pull someone like Jon Wolfe up here? How about his buddy Hunter Hutchinson for a couple of shows? I wouldn't think that's too far fetched. With Josh Abbott Band, Randy Rogers, and Wade Bowen as some of the other largest independent country acts, we are witnessing the beginning pillars of the bridge between Texas and Nashville Country. I want Texas country to thrive and have a chance on a larger scale without being watered down. If it came to start compromising to make it work, I would just walk away. But I truly don't think that will be the case.

Mark my words: we are watching the rise of the independent Texas artist right now and AW having a top 30 single is just the beginning. They've got the music, and we like so many others, are hungry to hear it.

It's hard to watch my early videos, but it gets the point across haha.